Her body felt weird, off center, like her equilibrium was all screwed up. Ana inhaled a huge gulp of air and took a few cautious steps forward. The walls on either side of her were brick, and in fact the alley looked no different from any you’d find in the human realm.
Where the hell was the fire? The brimstone? The bloody pits of Hell?
She crept forward, not liking the way the fog caressed her booted legs as she did so. It felt alive somehow, as if there was a presence within the mist.
Ana reached the edge of the alley and froze as a shadow passed in front of her. It stopped, solidified into a shape that while not humanlike, was close enough. It was an ethereal being, spectral in nature, and drifted a few inches above the ground, its feet hidden within the fog. She couldn’t tell if it was male or female. The damn thing reminded her of the shades she’d encountered in Vegas.
Its eyes were hollowed out, dark holes that stared at her in silence. Ana wasn’t sure how long they were frozen, staring at each other, not saying a word, but suddenly the specter moved, glancing behind it before disappearing from view.
Something echoed just beyond the range of her vision. It bounced along the brick walls and faded quickly. And then sounded again.
She realized it was the steady, even gait of a footfall.
Someone was out there—someone who didn’t float upon the air, but had legs. Which meant there was substance to it.
Ana loosened her hands, rolled her shoulders, and let her fangs slide out. She melted into the shadows, lifted her arms, and rose into the air. Her fingers dug into the brick and her boots gripped the wall tightly as she clung to the side like a spider.
She was nearly twenty feet from the ground and watched the opening carefully as the footsteps got closer. She held her breath and waited.
Something stopped just outside the alley. It was tall, with massive shoulders that were covered with long, sharp spikes. Because it was dark, Ana couldn’t tell if the spikes protruded from flesh or were part of his clothing.
It took another step, its large frame moving into a beam of light, and her eyes widened at the sight. He was a demon; the fiery eyes pretty much sealed that deal. His nostrils flared and his massive head rotated slowly as he perused the darkened alley.
Ana was so engrossed in watching the demon that when a tickle crept up her arm she nearly fell. The freaking neighborhood rat crawled beside her, its beastly eyes glowing with feral delight as it eyed her up.
Its nose twitched, its teeth chomped madly, their razorlike ends glistening in what little light there was.
Ana gripped the brick tightly with her right hand as her left shot out, her fingers closing around the little bastard’s neck with lethal precision. In one quick move she snapped its neck, taking care not to do too much damage. She didn’t want the scent of blood in the air.
She froze as a splash of water signaled the demon had taken at least one step farther into the alley. Ana turned her head slowly, carefully remaining as still as possible as the demon stared up into the darkness, his eyes trained on the exact spot where she was.
Jesus fuck, if he spied her, her sojourn into the underworld might be brief. And painful.
The demon took another step until the dark shadows from below hid most of his face. Ana gritted her teeth as she stared down at him, a lifeless rat held tight in her left hand.
She heard him grunt. Her muscles bunched in anticipation as adrenaline flooded her small frame. She gripped the rat tightly. It was the only weapon available to her and if needed, she’d use it, hope for the element of surprise. Pretty pathetic but there was nothing else.
A voice drew the demon’s attention and she held her breath as he turned. The words spoken were guttural, too low for Ana to hear properly, however she thought she heard doom. Her ears perked in interest.
Ana couldn’t see who or rather what spoke and remained still as the two conversed. The conversation lasted for all of ten seconds and then the demon glanced her way once more. Its chest rattled loudly with each breath it took and then he turned abruptly. He followed the voice out of the alley and left her alone with the dead rat.
She tossed the carcass behind her and dropped to the floor before creeping forward once more. Slowly she turned the corner and couldn’t believe what she saw. In her wildest imaginings she’d never envisioned Hell like this.
It looked like a typical city street. One from the shit-ass part of town to be sure, but a street nonetheless. Refuse blew down the sidewalk, dancing in the warm air that ruffled her hair. Shops lined the street; however, none appeared to be open, and most looked abandoned, with broken windows or boarded-up facades.
The strange mist that clung to her boots and slithered along her jean-clad legs was everywhere. Above her, darkness ruled a sky that ripped open with slashes of red. They slid across the vast space, disappearing and then reappearing like ribbons of scarlet. There were no stars, no moon.
Ana shivered and took a step. She glanced to her left, kept to the shadows, and darted along, her small frame nothing more than a blur as she sped forward, following the scent of the demon.
Less than a minute later she stared up at another large brick building. It was nondescript, save for the garish neon sign above it.
Club Doom.
Ana hesitated. She knew in any other circumstance, she’d wait for backup. That running headlong into a situation without knowing the details was stupid.
Yet what other choice did she have? There was no backup plan, no fucking unit
at her command. She was it.